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Who's Who - Sir Wilfrid Laurier

Laurier was born in St.
Lin, Quebec the son of a farmer in 1841. He was educated in New
Glasgow following a period at elementary school, and then spent seven years
at a Roman Catholic college. His higher education was completed at
McGill University where he studied law, graduating in 1864 and establishing
a practice in Montreal.

Becoming interested in
politics Laurier joined the Liberal Party and in 1866 moved to L'Avenir
where he became editor of Le Defricheur, a liberal newspaper.
Winning a seat in the legislature in 1871 Laurier resigned his position
three years later, the same year he was elected to the House of Commons.

Laurier served briefly as
Minister of Inland Revenue in Liberal Prime Minister Alexander MacKenzie's
administration, during which time he grew in party stature. When party
leader Edward Blake resigned in 1887 Laurier was elected his successor.

The general election of
1891 saw the Liberals espouse the unpopular platform of unrestricted
reciprocity with the United States, with the consequence that the
Conservative Party was once again was returned to power.

With the Conservative
Party's support in the country dwindling in the wake of a series of
controversial issues (including the Manitoba Schools Question) the 1896
general election swept the Liberals and Laurier to power. Thus Laurier
became his country's first French Canadian Prime Minister.

Aware of the divisiveness
of his background Laurier was at pains to stress the importance of national
unity in his policies, where he strove to bring French and British Canada
closer together. This was assisted by Laurier's open admiration of
British Liberalism. His genuine respect for Britain and its imperial
tradition was never however subjugated to Canada's own self-interest.

1897 brought Laurier to
London for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria, during the
course of which he was the recipient - somewhat to his surprise - of a
knighthood.

The general election of
1911 brought to an end Laurier's run of 15 years as Prime Minister - and
once more it was the question of unrestricted reciprocity with the U.S.
which caused the Liberal Party to suffer at the ballot box.

As Leader of the Opposition
however Laurier supported Conservative Prime Minister
Sir Robert Borden's
decision to pledge immediate military support for Britain upon the outbreak
of war in August 1914. He was however firm in his opposition to
Borden's policy of conscription, arguing that enlistment must be voluntary.

The Liberal Party split
over the issue of conscription and was consequently heavily defeated at the
1917 general election. In the Union coalition government Borden formed
after the election a number of Liberals accepted posts.

Sir Wilfrid Laurier died on
17 February 1919. Popular to the end his funeral was witnessed by some
50,000 people who lined the streets of Ottawa.